SW Florida Solo Report: Sandbar's are Back

Between Deer season and my senior year of college I ain't been fishin much but if there is a weekend thats not booked at my parents island house I'm there in a heartbeat. Friday afternoon my mother, grandmother, and I headed south to their place on Palm Island. With only a 10lb cuda in my freezer that I caught a month before it was a long shot heading down there to shark fish with just one bait. My father came and picked us up in the boat so we didn't have to pay the $55 to go across the car ferry to get on the island. As soon as I got there I ate a fresh grouper dinner my father had caught only an hour before off the dock and then headed to the beach. I was very excited when I stepped onto the narrow path leading over the dunes and was greeted by a sharkers dream sight. Flat calm seas with bait pods getting busted on all over. I had my father try and catch bait while I set up my shark rods. He got a 3lb sailcat immediately so I threw that on the 14/0 and put half the cuda on the 12/0. I got done paddling right in time to take this pic of the sunset.

Then my family had to leave... it was time for my father to go back home for work the next day. Meanwhile I caught more catfish and some slob ladyfish. At 8:30pm my 14 started clicking and then dropped it. It did this for 5 mins. before I felt comfortable setting the hook. I wanted to try something new so I did the running man even though I'm using circle hooks. I made short work of the shark, found that the lp 20/0 hook was set perfectly and was able to get it out, and sent the 5' tipper back to sea. Probably the easiest catch and release solo shark I've ever had.

So I was excited that I'd already gotten a shark and it was only 8:30pm and this is a beach where you NEVER have a hit before midnight. I put another fresh sailcat on the 14 and the other half of the cuda on the 12. At this point it was 47 degrees out with a wind blowing 10-15mph out of the East, and very high humidity so it was cold. The water being 68 degrees doesn't help either. It looks like its gonna be a cold winter this year fellas.

At 11:00pm I was sitting in my chair just trying to stay warm when the 14 started going again with the same darn pattern of picking it up and dropping it. At least the adrenaline warms you up. After the 5th time of picking it up it finally took it so I did the running man again with success and reeled in the shark. As soon as I got it into the gut close to the beach the 12/0 starts screaming. Of course it would hit when I got my shark in the trough. Otherwise I would fight both of them at the same time. So I let the 12/0 go. I run in the water and get surprised to see a nice sandbar shark in front of me. Usually we don't see them on the west coast until december. Again the lp 20/0 was hooked perfectly and I was able to get it to come out again. I snapped a few pics and released this momma to fight on another day.

7'3" Sandbar

I thought this was a cool pic of the shark not cooperating. Usually I can't get that sort of high action photo.

I reeled in the 12/0 and found the shark had bitten between the hooks... darn tippers. So I redeployed with fresh baits and no more hits the rest of the night. God sure blessed me that night though having caught 2 solo sharks with successful releases. Its tough to catch one shark a night on the west coast let alone two.

Hey Chris, you know that screwed up lp 20/0 that had the jacked up tip that curled out sideways 2mm and was duller than a pencil eraser that I spent 2 hours with a file just to make somewhat pointy... thats the hook that caught both the sharks.

The next day I fished in the boat with no success. When I went to the beach nothing would bite either and there was no bait offshore. My mother even fished with me for a couple of hours. So all I had for the second night of shark fishing was a ladyfish and catfish from the previous night.

Momma fishin

Welcome to my favorite place in the world, Palm Island... one of the last truely private islands on the west coast and hardly anybody as far as the eye can see.

Sunset the second night

Each rod had one click and then was dropped. After the sun set I was able to catch my grandmother's dinner to take home with her for the next night. 4 big whiting. But no more catfish feeding. When I reeled in the baits at 10:30pm they were picked clean by crabs and I had no more bait so I called it a night.